Conveying equipment and inspection device

ABSTRACT

An appearance inspecting apparatus includes a parts feeder aligning rubber stoppers in tandem by torsionally vibrating a bowl having a spiral track formed therein, an air conveying portion conveying the rubber stoppers aligned in tandem by blowing compressed air thereto, first and second conveying tables conveying rubber stoppers by suction-holding a surface not to be inspected of the rubber stoppers, an inspecting portion inspecting a surface to be inspected of the rubber stoppers conveyed by the first and second conveying tables, and a selecting portion sorting out rubber stoppers that are determined to be defective, in accordance with the result of inspection by the inspecting portion. Objects to be inspected having a complicated shape are aligned preliminarily by using a vibration parts feeder, while highly accurate appearance inspection is conducted.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an apparatus for inspecting anappearance of an object and an apparatus for conveying the object usedwith the appearance inspecting apparatus and, more specifically, to aninspecting apparatus for inspecting an appearance of an object such as arubber stopper of an injection solution vial, caps, tablets and capsuleshaving a not-entirely-uniform surface to be inspected, and to aconveying apparatus used for the inspecting apparatus.

BACKGROUND ART

A rubber stopper of an injection solution vial is put on an opening ofthe vial containing the injection solution, and peripheral portion ofthe stopper is fixed by a clamp. When the injection solution in the vialis to be introduced to a syringe, a syringe needle is put into thecenter of the rubber stopper.

In this manner, the rubber stopper for an injection vial comes to be indirect contact with the syringe needle. Therefore, it is necessary toinspect the appearance of the stopper before it is put on the vial.Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-266685 discloses an apparatus forinspecting appearance of such rubber stoppers. The inspecting apparatusdisclosed in this laid-open application includes an aligning andsupplying portion, a guide rail, a first conveying portion and a secondconveying portion. The first conveying portion includes a firstinspecting portion and a defect ejecting portion, and the secondconveying portion includes a second inspecting portion and a defectejecting portion. The aligning and supplying portion sets rubberstoppers to erect attitude, aligns the same in tandem in back-and-forthdirection, and supplies the same to the first conveying portion. By wayof example, a known parts feeder or the like may be used as the aligningand supplying portion. The guide rail guides the rubber stopperssupplied from the aligning and supplying portion and supplies the rubberstoppers to the first conveying portion while regulating their positionsin the left-and-right direction. A known belt conveyer or the like maybe used as the first conveying portion. The first conveying portionconveys forward the rubber stoppers in the erect attitude at a constantspeed, while supporting from below the rubber stoppers at prescribedpositions in the left-and-right direction, so that the stoppers arepositioned at a prescribed interval in the back-and-forth direction. Thesecond conveying portion conveys forward the rubber stoppers in theerect attitude at a constant speed, while supporting from above therubber stoppers at prescribed positions in the left-and-right direction,so that the stoppers are positioned at a prescribed interval in theback-and-forth direction.

In the inspecting apparatus, when the rubber stoppers are vibrated atthe aligning and supplying portion employing the known vibratory partsfeeder or the like, the rubber stoppers are aligned in tandem in erectattitude. The stoppers in this state are guided by the guide rail, andat a first inspecting portion of the first conveying portion, appearanceis inspected.

In the inspecting apparatus disclosed in the laid-open applicationdescribed above, however, vibration of the parts feeder at the aligningand supplying portion is transmitted to the inspecting portion.Therefore, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera at the inspectingportion vibrates, and clear imaging of the rubber stoppers becomesimpossible. This makes accurate inspection difficult.

The present invention was made to solve the above-described problem, andits object is to provide an inspecting apparatus enabling accurateinspection, of which inspection area is free of any influence ofvibration even when objects have complicated shapes and arepreliminarily aligned by using a vibratory parts feeder, as well as toprovide a conveying apparatus used for the inspecting apparatus.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In order to attain the above described object, the first presentinvention provides a conveying apparatus including: aligning means foraligning in tandem objects to be conveyed, by applying vibration to theobjects; and conveying means connected to the aligning means forconveying the objects by blowing compressed air to the objects alignedin tandem.

According to the first invention, by the aligning means, the objects tobe conveyed such as rubber stoppers having a complicated shape arealigned in tandem. At this time, the rubber stoppers placed on a spiraltrack move on the track and are aligned in tandem, while the rubberstoppers themselves rotate, because of torsional vibration. Thereafter,the aligned rubber stoppers are conveyed not by vibration but by theforce generated by jet compressed air. Thus, the conveying means is freeof any vibration, and therefore, it becomes possible to mount aninspection camera or the like on the conveying means and to inspectwithout any vibration. As a result, even when the objects are alignedpreliminarily by using aligning means such as a vibratory parts feeder,the inspection area is free of any influence thereof, and thus, aconveying apparatus enabling accurate inspection can be provided.

The conveying apparatus in accordance with the second invention furtherincludes, in addition to the structure of the first invention, feedingmeans connected to the aligning means and the conveying means, forfeeding the objects to be conveyed to the conveying means, by applyingvibration to the objects that are aligned in tandem, in a travelingdirection of the objects to be conveyed.

According to the second invention, as the feeding means for generatingvibration in the traveling direction of the objects to be conveyed isprovided, vibration of the aligning means is less likely to propagate tothe conveying means.

The conveying apparatus in accordance with the third invention furtherincludes, in addition to the structure of the second invention,retaining means connected to the feeding means and the conveying means,for retaining a predetermined number of objects to be conveyed, andcontrol means for controlling the feeding means such that vibration ofthe feeding means is activated and stopped based on the number ofobjects retained by the retaining means.

According to the third invention, when the predetermined number ofrubber stoppers are retained by the retaining means, vibration of thefeeding means is stopped, so as to stop transfer of the object from thefeeding means to the conveying means. Thus, only a prescribed number ofrubber stoppers are supplied to the conveying means that blowscompressed air to the rubber stoppers. As a result, such a situationthat the conveying means is forced to convey rubber stoppers exceedingthe prescribed number at one time does not occur, and therefore, failurein conveying the objects can be prevented.

In the conveying apparatus in accordance with the fourth invention, inaddition to the structure of any of the first to third inventions, thealigning means includes means for aligning the objects to be conveyed intandem in a predetermined orientation, by torsionally vibrating a bowlhaving a spiral track formed therein and blowing compressed air to theobjects to be conveyed placed on the track.

According to the fourth invention, as the aligning means is provided,the rubber stoppers that are placed on the spiral track move over thetrack and are aligned in tandem in a predetermined orientation, whilethe rubber stoppers themselves are rotated by the torsional vibrationand the compressed air blown thereto. Accordingly, the aligning meanscan surely set the rubber stoppers to the predetermined orientation.

The inspecting apparatus in accordance with the fifth inventionincludes: aligning means for aligning the objects to be inspected intandem by applying vibration to the objects; conveying means connectedto the aligning means for conveying the objects to be inspected byblowing compressed air to the objects aligned in tandem; inspecting andconveying means connected to the conveying means for attracting bysuction a surface that is not to be inspected of the objects to beinspected and for conveying; and inspecting means for inspecting asurface to be inspected of the objects conveyed by the inspecting andconveying means.

According to the fifth invention, by the aligning means, the objects tobe inspected having a complex shape such as rubber stoppers are alignedin tandem. At this time, the rubber stoppers that are placed on thespiral track, for example, move over the track and are aligned intandem, while the rubber stoppers themselves are rotated by torsionalvibration. Then, the aligned rubber stoppers are conveyed by the forcegenerated by the jet compressed air, not by vibration. The inspectingand conveying means suction-holds a surface not to be inspected of theobject by air suction, and in this state, the objects are inspected bythe inspecting means. Acceptable rubber stoppers are separated fromdefective ones, based on the result of inspection. Therefore, there isno vibration in the conveying means and the inspecting and conveyingmeans, so that it is possible to inspect without any influence ofvibration, by arranging the inspecting means in the inspecting andconveying means. As a result, even when objects are alignedpreliminarily by using the aligning means such as a vibratory partsfeeder, the inspecting area is free of any influence thereof, and thus,an inspecting apparatus capable of accurate inspection can be provided.

In the inspecting apparatus in accordance with the sixth invention, inaddition to the structure of the fifth invention, the inspecting andconveying means includes at least two projections provided to abut aside surface, in the traveling direction, of a column of the object tobe inspected, and means for conveying by suction-holding the surfacenot-to-be-inspected of the object positioned by the projections.

According to the sixth invention, the object to be inspected has acolumnar bottom portion, and the bottom surface of the column is thesurface that is not to be inspected. The projections abut at least twoportions of the side surface of the column, and can easily position theobject to be inspected. Particularly, when the object is conveyed bycompressed air, it is difficult to position the object by utilizing arecessed portion fitting the shape of the entire circumference of thebottom surface of the column. Even in that case, the object to beinspected can easily be positioned.

The inspecting apparatus in accordance with the seventh inventionincludes, in addition to the structure of the fifth invention, feedingmeans connected to the aligning means and the conveying means forfeeding the object to be conveyed to the conveying means, by applyingvibration to the objects to be inspected that are aligned in tandem, ina traveling direction of the objects to be conveyed.

According to the seventh invention, as the feeding means is providedthat vibrates in the traveling direction of the objects to be inspected,vibration of the aligning means is less likely to propagate to theconveying means.

The inspecting apparatus in accordance with the eighth inventionincludes, in addition to the structure of the seventh invention,retaining means connected to the feeding means and the conveying meansfor retaining a predetermined number of objects to be inspected, andcontrol means for controlling the feeding means such that vibration ofthe feeding means is activated and stopped based on the number ofobjects to be inspected retained by the retaining means.

According to the eighth invention, when a predetermined number of rubberstoppers are retained by the retaining means, vibration of the feedingmeans is stopped, so that transfer from the feeding means to theconveying means is stopped. Accordingly, it follows that only aprescribed number of rubber stoppers are supplied to the conveying meansthat blows compressed air to the rubber stoppers. As a result, such asituation that the conveying means is forced to convey rubber stoppersexceeding the prescribed number at one time does not occur, andtherefore, failure in conveying the objects can be prevented.

In the inspecting apparatus in accordance with the ninth invention, inaddition to the structure of any of the fifth to eighth inventions, thealigning means includes means for aligning the objects to be inspectedin tandem in a predetermined orientation, by torsionally vibrating abowl having a spiral track formed therein and by blowing compressed airto the objects to be conveyed on the track.

According to the ninth invention, as the aligning means is provided, therubber stoppers that are placed on the spiral track move over the trackand are aligned in tandem in a predetermined orientation, while therubber stoppers themselves are rotated by the torsional vibration andthe compressed air blown thereto. Accordingly, the aligning means cansurely set the rubber stoppers to the predetermined orientation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective overall view of the appearance inspectingapparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view (part 1) of the appearance inspectingapparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention,and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view (part 2) of the appearance inspectingapparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a parts feeder of the appearanceinspecting apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a linear feeder of the appearanceinspecting apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an air conveying portion of theappearance inspecting apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an inspecting portion of the appearanceinspecting apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view (part 1) of a first conveying table of theappearance inspecting apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of thepresent invention, and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view (part 2) of the first conveying table ofthe appearance inspecting apparatus in accordance with the embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view (part 1) of a second conveying table ofthe appearance inspecting apparatus in accordance with the embodiment ofthe present invention, and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view (part 2) of the second conveying table ofthe appearance inspecting apparatus in accordance with the embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the appearance inspecting apparatus inaccordance with the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a side view of a vibratory parts feeder of the appearanceinspecting apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 14 is a top view of a rubber stopper to be inspected by theappearance inspecting apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the rubber stopper to be inspected by theappearance inspecting apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the rubber stopper to be inspected by theappearance inspecting apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart representing the control scheme of a conveyingcontrol program executed by the appearance inspecting apparatus inaccordance with the embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention will be described in thefollowing with reference to the figures. In the following description,same parts are denoted by same reference characters. Names and functionsof these parts are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptionthereof will not be repeated.

FIG. 1 is a perspective overall view of the appearance inspectingapparatus in accordance with the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1,the appearance inspecting apparatus includes a parts feeder 100 foraligning rubber stoppers 1000 as the objects to be inspected, a linearfeeder 200 conveying rubber stoppers 1000 over linear feeder 200 byapplying vibration, in linear direction, to the aligned rubber stoppers1000, an air conveying portion 300 connected to linear feeder 200 forconveying rubber stoppers 1000 to a first conveying table 400 by blowingcompressed air to rubber stoppers 1000 that have been conveyed by linearfeeder 200, the first conveying table 400 holding bottom surfaces ofrubber stoppers 1000 that have been conveyed by air conveying portion300, for conveying the rubber stoppers to a first inspecting portion 450that inspects upper surface side of rubber stoppers 1000, and a secondconveying table 500, to which rubber stoppers 1000 conveyed by the firstconveying table 400 are transferred, holding upper surfaces of rubberstoppers 1000 and conveying the rubber stoppers to a second inspectingportion 550 that inspects bottom surface side of rubber stoppers 1000.

Parts-feeder 100 is vibrated in a prescribed direction, as will bedescribed later, and by the thus applied vibration, rubber stoppers 1000move along a spiral track. During the movement, rubber stoppers 1000 arerotated by the vibration in the prescribed direction, and guided by anorientation regulator guide provided in a bowl, so that the orientationof rubber stoppers 1000 is determined.

Linear feeder vibrates in lateral direction. By the vibration, linearfeeder 200 conveys rubber stoppers 1000 that have been received fromparts feeder 100 to air conveying portion 300. At this time, if thenumber of rubber stoppers 1000 to be conveyed to air conveying portion300 is too large, rubber stoppers 1000 exceeding a predetermined numbercannot be conveyed even by blowing the compressed air at air conveyingportion 300. Therefore, when a prescribed number of rubber stoppers 1000are retained in a retaining portion of linear feeder 200, linear feeder200 stops its vibration, so as to stop transfer of rubber stoppers 1000to air conveying portion 300.

In air conveying portion 300, compressed air is constantly blown out inthe traveling direction of rubber stoppers 1000 along a guide. By theforce of the compressed air, rubber stoppers are conveyed to the firstconveying table 400. The first and second conveying tables are roundtables that hold rubber stoppers 1000 one by one by air-suction, androtate in a predetermined direction to convey the rubber stoppers 1000.

FIG. 2 shows parts feeder 100 and linear feeder 200. As shown in FIG. 2,linear feeder 200 has a function of passing rubber stoppers 1000conveyed from parts feeder 100 to air conveying portion 300.

FIG. 3 shows air conveying portion 300 and first and second conveyingtables 400 and 500. Rubber stoppers 1000 that have been conveyed by airconveying portion 300 are held at positions of suction openings forair-suction provided at prescribed intervals on a cylindrical endsurface, and conveyed by the first and second conveying tables 400 and500. The first and second conveying tables 400 and 500 rotate insynchronization with each other at a prescribed speed of rotation.During the rotation, images of illuminated rubber stoppers 1000 arepicked-up by first and second inspection cameras, and the appearance isinspected by an image processing apparatus. Here, any damage, dust orthe like on the surface of rubber stoppers 1000 is detected.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of parts feeder 100. As shown in FIG. 4,parts feeder 100 is torsionally vibrated in the direction of the arrow120. Therefore, on rubber stoppers 1000, the force in the travelingdirection represented by the arrow 124 and the force in the direction ofrotation represented by the arrow 122 are exerted. By these two forces,rubber stoppers 1000 are conveyed in the direction of the arrow 124while rotating, along a guide 106. At this time, rubber stoppers 1000having upper and bottom surfaces positioned upside-down fall through acutout 102 to bowl 160. In addition to guide 106, a guide 104 isprovided at an upper portion opposing to guide 106, corresponding to theshape of rubber stoppers 1000.

At a position facing an upper gap of rubber stoppers 1000, anorientation regulator guide 112 is provided. By orientation regulatorguide 112 and by the function of rotation of rubber stoppers 1000,orientation of rubber stoppers 1000 is set in a prescribed direction, asrubber stoppers are conveyed in the direction of the arrow 124 whilerotating, abut orientation regulator guide 112 while continuouslyrotating, and are guided as they rotate, by orientation regulator guide112. In order to promote rotation of rubber stopper 1000 at the positionwhere orientation regulator guide is provided, compressed air is blownout from air ducts 108 and 110. The emitted compressed air is directedto an upper portion of rubber stopper 1000, facilitating rotation ofrubber stopper 1000.

FIG. 5 shows a junction portion between linear feeder 200 and airconveying portion 300. Linear feeder 200 has conveying guides 204 and206 provided therein, and conveys rubber stoppers 1000 by vibration inthe traveling direction. Further, a sensor 202 is provided at aretaining portion, for detecting that a predetermined number of rubberstoppers 1000 (for example, three) are accumulated. When the thirdrubber stopper 1000 is detected by sensor 202, vibration of linearfeeder 200 is stopped, and transfer of rubber stoppers 1000 from linearfeeder 200 to air conveying portion 300 is stopped.

As shown in FIG. 5, conveying guides 204 and 206 are provided atpositions opposing to guides 304 and 306 of air conveying portion 300with a small space 305 therebetween. This small space 305 preventspropagation of the vibration of parts feeder in the prescribed directionas well as the vibration of linear feeder 200 in the traveling directionof rubber stoppers 1000 to air conveying portion 300.

This portion will be described in detail. The space 305 betweenconveying guide 206 and guide 306 is set to be wider to this side of thesheet and narrower in the depth direction of the sheet. The space 305 isat least the amplitude of vibration in the traveling direction of rubberstoppers 1000 of linear feeder 200 plus a margin α. Further, as shown inFIG. 5, the space 305 is set not orthogonal to but diagonal to thetraveling direction of rubber stoppers 1000. This prevents any rubberstopper 1000 from being caught when it is transferred from linear feeder200 to air conveying portion 300, and prevents propagation of vibrationof linear feeder 200 in the traveling direction of rubber stoppers 1000to air conveying portion 300.

Further, air duct 208 is provided closer to liner feeder 200 than thespace 305 such that the compressed air blown out from air duct 208 formsan air flow along conveying guides 204 and 206. By such an arrangement,rubber stoppers 1000 can be conveyed with small amount of air.

FIG. 6 shows details of air conveying portion 300. As shown in FIG. 6,in air conveying portion 300, rubber stopper 1000 is conveyed toward thefirst conveying table 400 by the compressed air blown out from airnozzle 302, with an upper gap sliding along guide 306. It is noted thatthe compressed air is constantly blown out from the air duct.

FIG. 7 shows details of the inspecting portion of the appearanceinspecting apparatus in accordance with the present embodiment. As shownin FIG. 7, first and second conveying tables 400 and 500 are provided atthe inspecting portion. The first conveying table 400 rotates in thedirection of the arrow 444, while the second conveying table 500 rotatesin the direction of the arrow 544.

Rubber stoppers 1000 conveyed by air conveying portion 300 are passed tothe first conveying table 400, and held by air-suction and conveyed bythe first conveying table 400 that rotates in the direction of the arrow444. The first and second conveying tables 400 and 500 are placed spacedby a prescribed distance (height of rubber stopper 1000−depth of uppergap+margin) at a position where circumferences oppose to each other. Atthis position, rubber stopper 1000 is passed from the first conveyingtable 400 to the second conveying table 500. The rubber stopper 1000that has been passed to the second conveying table 500 is held byair-suction and conveyed, by the second conveying table 500 rotating inthe direction of the arrow 544.

While rubber stoppers 1000 are conveyed by rotation of the first andsecond conveying tables 400 and 500, images of the rubber stoppers arepicked-up, for example, by first and second inspection cameras 452 and552, for inspecting appearance of the rubber stoppers.

Referring to FIG. 8, the first conveying table 400 will be described.FIG. 8 shows an end surface along the circumferential direction of thefirst conveying table 400. As shown in FIG. 8, rubber stopper 1000 isconveyed with its bottom portion held by air-suction. On a first endsurface 402 of a rotation table of the first conveying table 400,positioning bases 410 are formed at a predetermined interval, along thecircumferential direction. The positioning base 410 is designed to beeasily detachable. Therefore, when the shape of rubber stoppers 1000 isto be changed, the positioning base can easily be changed to differentbase 410 that corresponds to the changed shape of the rubber stoppers.

Positioning base 410 has triangular positioning members 412 arranged insymmetry at upper and lower portions. Positioning members 412 are not incontact with the circumference of the bottom surface of rubber stopper1000, but rather, each of the positioning members 412 provided insymmetry at upper and lower portions is in point contact, forpositioning. This means that the contact area is small, and thatpositioning is easy. Though positioning member 412 having a triangularshape has been described as an example, it may have any other polygonalshape such as a rectangular shape, or it may have a columnar shape. Asthe positioning member 412 rotates together with the rotation of thefirst conveying table 400, columnar projection without any angle ispreferred in view of safety and is inexpensive, as compared with anangular one such as a triangular projection.

Referring to FIG. 9, positioning base 410 has a suction opening 414 forair suction. Rubber stopper 1000 has its bottom surface held by theforce of air sucked through suction opening 414, and is conveyed by thefirst conveying table 400 to the first inspecting portion 450.

Referring to FIG. 10, the second conveying table 500 will be described.FIG. 10 shows an end surface along the circumferential direction of thesecond conveying table 500. As shown in FIG. 10, rubber stopper 1000 isconveyed with its upper portion held by air suction. On a second endsurface 502 of a rotating table of the second conveying table 500, aguide portion 510 guiding the upper gap of rubber stopper 1000 isprovided.

Referring to FIG. 11, guide portion 510 has a suction opening 512 forair suction. Rubber stopper 1000 is held by the force of air suckedthrough suction opening 512, and is conveyed by the second conveyingtable 500 to the second inspecting portion 550.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the appearance inspecting apparatus inaccordance with the present embodiment. As show in FIG. 12, theappearance inspecting apparatus includes, as described with reference tothe perspective view, parts feeder 100, linear feeder 200, air conveyingportion 300, first conveying table 400, second conveying table 500, andselecting portion 600.

Referring to FIG. 13, parts feeder 100 of the appearance inspectingapparatus in accordance with the present embodiment will be described.This figure is viewed from the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 12. Asshown in FIG. 13, parts feeder 100 has a bowl 160 coupled to a baseblock 168 below by means of inclined leaf springs 152 arranged at equalangles. On a bottom surface of bowl 160, a leaf spring mounting block170 is fixed, and a movable core 166 formed of a magnetic material isfixed at the bottom of the mounting block and opposed to anelectromagnet 164 fixed on base block 168 and having an electromagneticcoil 150 wound therearound, with a predetermined space there between.Parts feeder 100 as a whole is supported on a floor by an anti-vibrationrubber 162.

Referring to FIGS. 14 to 16, rubber stopper 1000 to be inspected by theappearance inspecting apparatus in accordance with the presentembodiment will be described. FIG. 14 is a top view, FIG. 15 is a sideview and FIG. 16 is a bottom view. As shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, rubberstopper 1000 has its upper portion partially cut out to form an uppergap, and has an almost flat bottom surface. The above-describedplurality of guides are formed opposed to the upper gap, and rubberstopper 1000 is conveyed with the upper gap sliding along the guides. Inthe present embodiment, rubber stopper 1000 has its upper surface sideinspected by the first inspecting portion 450 and its bottom surfaceside inspected by the second inspecting portion 550 while being conveyedby the first and second conveying tables 400 and 500, so that theappearance of the entire surface of rubber stopper 1000 can beinspected.

Referring to FIG. 17, the flow chart of the process executed by theappearance inspecting apparatus in accordance with the presentembodiment will be described. It is noted that FIG. 17 is limited tocontrol for activating and stopping linear feeder 200, of the controlrelated to conveyance in the appearance inspecting apparatus inaccordance with the present embodiment.

In step (hereinafter, “step” will be simply denoted by S) 100, thecontrol portion activates linear feeder 200. At this time, linear feeder200 may be activated by turning on the main power of the appearanceinspecting apparatus.

In S200, the control portion determines whether a retention sensor 202is turned on or not. When retention sensor 202 is turned on (YES inS200), the process proceeds to S300, and otherwise (NO in S200), theprocess returns to S200 to wait for turning on of retention sensor 202.

In S300, the control portion stops linear feeder 200. In S400, thecontrol portion determines whether retention sensor 202 is turned off ornot. If retention sensor 202 is turned off (YES in S400), the processreturns to S100, and linear feeder 200 starts its operation again. Ifnot (NO in S400), the process is returned to S400 to wait for turningoff of retention sensor 202.

The operation of the appearance inspecting apparatus in accordance withthe present embodiment based on the structure and flow chart above willbe described.

When the main power of the appearance inspecting apparatus is turned on,torsional vibration of parts feeder 100 starts, vibration of linearfeeder 200 in the traveling direction of rubber stoppers 1000 starts,and the first and second conveying tables 400 and 500 start rotation.Further, compressed air is blown out from the air duct provided at airconveying portion 300.

In this state, a large number of rubber stoppers 1000 are put into bowl160 of parts feeder 100. Rubber stoppers 1000 are conveyed to the upperportion of the bowl along a spiral conveying guide provided in bowl 160,with the up-and-down direction regulated by the spiral guide, whilerubber stoppers 1000 themselves are rotated.

At the upper portion of the bowl, rubber stopper 1000 reaches theposition of orientation regulator guide 112 while rotating, by the forcein the direction of the arrow 122 and the force in the direction of thearrow 124, as shown in FIG. 4. At this position, compressed air is blownout from air ducts 108 and 110, and by the force in the direction of thearrow 122, rubber stopper 1000 rotates. Thus, the upper gap of rubberstopper fits in the orientation regulator guide 112, and rubber stopper1000 moves in the direction of the arrow 124, sliding along orientationregulator guide 112.

Rubber stoppers 1000 regulated in prescribed up-and-down direction andin a prescribed orientation by parts feeder 100 are conveyed by linearfeeder 200 to air conveying portion 300. Here, until retention sensor202 detects a third rubber stopper 11000 (NO in S200), operation oflinear feeder 200 continues (S100). When retention sensor 202 detectsthat the third rubber stopper 1000 is retained (YES in S200), vibrationof linear feeder 200 is stopped (S300). At this time point also, by airduct 208, rubber stopper 1000 is conveyed from linear feeder 200 to airconveying portion 300.

When the third rubber stopper 1000 that has been retained is conveyed toair conveying portion 300 (YES in S400), vibration of linear feeder 200starts again (S100). Rubber stopper 1000 that has reached air conveyingportion 300 is conveyed toward the first conveying table 400 by thecompressed air blown out from nozzle 302, with the upper gap of rubberstopper 1000 sliding along guide 306.

Rubber stopper 1000 that has reached the first conveying table 400 hasits bottom portion held by the force of air sucked through suctionopening 414, while an image of the upper portion of rubber stopper 400is picked-up by the first inspection camera 452, so that appearance ofthe upper portion of rubber stopper 1000 is inspected.

When rubber stopper 1000 reaches a position where the first and secondconveying tables 400 and 500 are opposed to each other, rubber stopper1000 is transferred from the first conveying table 400 that holds therubber stopper by the force of air sucked through suction opening 414 tothe second conveying table 500 that holds the rubber stopper by theforce of air sucked through suction hole 512.

Rubber stopper 1000 has its upper portion held by the force of airsucked through suction opening 512 of the second conveying table 512,and an image of the bottom portion of rubber stopper 1000 is picked-upby a second inspection camera 552, so that appearance of the bottomportion of rubber stopper 1000 is inspected.

The images picked-up by the first and second inspection cameras 452 and552 are subjected to image processing, and any rubber stopper 1000 thatis damaged, has rubber adhesion or the like is removed as defective, atselecting portion 600.

In this manner, by the appearance inspecting apparatus in accordancewith the present invention, the rubber stoppers having a complicatedshape are regulated in the up-and-down direction and aligned in thecircumferential direction by the parts feeder that applies torsionalvibration. The aligned rubber stoppers are conveyed to the air conveyingportion by the linear feeder. A structure is adopted that preventspropagation of vibration from the vibratory parts feeder and linearfeeder to the air conveying portion. Therefore, vibration of the partsfeeder and the linear feeder is not propagated to the first and secondconveying tables that are downstream of the air conveying portion.Therefore, inspection at the first and second inspecting portions is notinfluenced by the vibration. As a result, highly accurate inspectionbecomes possible.

The embodiments as have been described here are mere examples and shouldnot be interpreted as restrictive. The scope of the present invention isdetermined by each of the claims with appropriate consideration of thewritten description of the embodiments and embraces modifications withinthe meaning of, and equivalent to, the languages in the claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention provides an inspecting apparatus enabling accurateinspection, of which inspection area is free of any influence even whenobjects have complicated shapes and are preliminarily aligned by using avibratory parts feeder, and a conveying apparatus used for theinspecting apparatus.

According to the first invention, by the aligning means, the objects tobe conveyed such as rubber stoppers having a complicated shape arealigned in tandem. At this time, the rubber stoppers placed on a spiraltrack move on the track and are aligned in tandem, while the rubberstoppers themselves rotate, because of torsional vibration. Thereafter,the aligned rubber stoppers are conveyed not by vibration but by theforce generated by jet compressed air. Thus, the conveying means is freeof any vibration, and therefore, it becomes possible to mount aninspection camera or the like on the conveying means and to inspectwithout any vibration. As a result, even when the objects are alignedpreliminarily by using aligning means such as a vibratory parts feeder,the inspection area is free of any influence thereof, and thus, aconveying apparatus enabling accurate inspection can be provided.

According to the second invention, as the feeding means for generatingvibration in the traveling direction of the objects to be conveyed isprovided, vibration of the aligning means is less likely to propagate tothe conveying means.

According to the third invention, when the predetermined number ofrubber stoppers are retained by the retaining means, vibration of thefeeding means is stopped, so as to stop transfer of the object from thefeeding means to the conveying means. Thus, only a prescribed number ofrubber stoppers are supplied to the conveying means that blowscompressed air to the rubber stoppers. As a result, such a situationthat the conveying means is forced to convey rubber stoppers exceedingthe prescribed number at one time does not occur, and therefore, failurein conveying the objects can be prevented.

According to the fourth invention, as the aligning means is provided,the rubber stoppers that are placed on the spiral track move over thetrack and are aligned in tandem in a predetermined orientation, whilethe rubber stoppers themselves are rotated by the torsional vibrationand the compressed air blown thereto. Accordingly, the aligning meanscan surely set the rubber stoppers to the predetermined orientation.

According to the fifth invention, by the aligning means, the objects tobe inspected having a complex shape such as rubber stoppers are alignedin tandem. At this time, the rubber stoppers that are placed on thespiral track, for example, move over the track and are aligned intandem, while the rubber stoppers themselves are rotated by torsionalvibration. Then, the aligned rubber stoppers are conveyed by the forcegenerated by the jet compressed air, not by vibration. The inspectingand conveying means suction-holds a surface not to be inspected of theobject by air suction, and in this state, the objects are inspected bythe inspecting means. Separating means separates acceptable rubberstoppers from defective ones, based on the result of inspection.Therefore, there is no vibration in the conveying means and theinspecting and conveying means, so that it is possible to inspectwithout any influence of vibration, by arranging the inspecting means inthe inspecting and conveying means. As a result, even when objects arealigned preliminarily by using the aligning means such as a vibrationparts feeder, the inspecting area is free of any influence thereof, andthus, an inspecting apparatus capable of accurate inspection can beprovided.

According to the sixth invention, the object to be inspected has acolumnar bottom portion, and the bottom surface of the column is thesurface that is not to be inspected. The projections abut at least twoportions of the side surface of the column, and can easily position theobject to be inspected. Particularly, when the object is conveyed bycompressed air, it is difficult to position the object by utilizing arecessed portion fitting the shape of the entire circumference of thebottom surface of the column. Even in that case, the object to beinspected can easily be positioned.

According to the seventh invention, as the feeding means is providedthat vibrates in the traveling direction of the objects to be inspected,vibration of the aligning means is less likely to propagate to theconveying means.

According to the eighth invention, when a predetermined number of rubberstoppers are retained by the retaining means, vibration of the feedingmeans is stopped, so that transfer from the feeding means to theconveying means is stopped. Accordingly, it follows that only aprescribed number of rubber stoppers are supplied to the conveying meansthat blows compressed air to the rubber stoppers. As a result, such asituation that the conveying means is forced to convey rubber stoppersexceeding the prescribed number at one time does not occur, andtherefore, failure in conveying the objects can be prevented.

According to the ninth invention, as the aligning means is provided, therubber stoppers that are placed on the spiral track move over the trackand are aligned in tandem in a predetermined orientation, while therubber stoppers themselves are rotated by the torsional vibration andthe compressed air blown thereto. Accordingly, the aligning means cansurely set the rubber stoppers to the predetermined orientation.

1. A conveying apparatus, comprising: aligning means for aligning objects to be conveyed in tandem, by applying vibration to said objects to be conveyed; and conveying means connected to said aligning means for conveying said objects, by blowing compressed air to said objects to be conveyed aligned in tandem.
 2. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising feeding means connected to said aligning means and said conveying means, for feeding said objects to be conveyed to said conveying means, by applying vibration in traveling direction of said objects to be conveyed, to said objects to be conveyed aligned in tandem.
 3. The conveying apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: retaining means connected to said feeding means and said conveying means for retaining a predetermined number of objects to be conveyed; and control means controlling said feeding means such that vibration of said feeding means is activated and stopped, based on the number of objects to be conveyed retained by said retaining means.
 4. The conveying apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said aligning means includes means for aligning said objects to be conveyed in tandem in a predetermined orientation, by torsionally vibrating a bowl having a spiral track formed therein and by blowing compressed air to the objects to be conveyed on said track.
 5. An inspecting apparatus, comprising: aligning means for aligning objects to be inspected in tandem, by applying vibration to said objects to be inspected; conveying means connected to said aligning means for feeding said objects, by blowing compressed air to said objects to be inspected aligned in tandem; inspecting and conveying means connected to said conveying means for conveying said objects to be inspected, by suction-holding a surface that is not to be inspected of said objects to be inspected; and inspecting means for inspecting a surface to be inspected of the objects to be inspected conveyed by said inspecting and conveying means.
 6. The inspecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said object to be inspected has a columnar bottom portion, and a bottom surface of said column is said surface that is not to be inspected; and said inspecting and conveying means includes at least two projections provided to abut a side surface of said column in the traveling direction of said object to be inspected, and means for conveying said object by suction-holding said surface that is not to be inspected of said object to be inspected positioned by said projections.
 7. The inspecting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising feeding means connected to said aligning means and said conveying means, for feeding said objects to be inspected to said conveying means, by applying vibration in traveling direction of said objects to be conveyed, to said objects to be inspected aligned in tandem.
 8. The inspecting apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: retaining means connected to said feeding means and said conveying means, for retaining a predetermined number of objects to be inspected; and control means for controlling said feeding means such that vibration of said feeding means is activated and stopped, based on the number of objects to be inspected retained by said retaining means.
 9. The inspecting apparatus according to any of claims 5 to 8, wherein said aligning means includes means for aligning said objects to be inspected in tandem in a predetermined orientation, by torsionally vibrating a bowl having a spiral track formed therein and by blowing compressed air to the objects to be conveyed on said track. 